As volatile organic compounds (VOCs) become more strictly regulated in their usage, there is an ever-growing need for water-based coatings and adhesives. In particular, there is a need for water-based thremosetable (curable) coatings that are highly conductive. Representative uses include electrostatic dissipation coatings, lightning strike protectant coatings, and electrically conductive adhesive and coatings for use in the fabrication of electronic components. Prior art aqueous conductive coatings suffer from the difficulty of suspending large quantities of conductive filler in an aqueous medium, as well as dispersing a resin capable of drying and curing to form a robust coating. As a result, many of the prior art coatings are either not as conductive as certain applications demand, or are expensive and poorly cohesive due to extraordinarily high filler loading.
It is to these perceived needs that the present invention is directed.